Adhesive bandages comprising a central pad area and adjacent adhesive areas are well-known in the art and popular as first aid wound dressings. Current bandages generally comprise an elongated strip of cloth or plastic backing material coated on one surface with a pressure sensitive adhesive. A gauze or sponge pad is secured to the adhesive surface in a central location to serve as the wound cover. The wound facing surface of the pad may be plastic-coated or otherwise treated to prevent the pad from adhering to the wound. Plastic-coated release strips are placed over the adhesive areas and the entire assembly is placed in a sealed package and sterilized to be ready for use.
The adhesive bandages of the prior art are characterized by their construction of two basic components: (1) the adhesive coated backing material and (2) the wound covering pad material. The pad material may be dry or impregnated with various bactericides or other wound treatment medicaments. The capacity of the pad to absorb and hold such compositions is a limiting factor on the amount of such material which may be incorporated into the bandage.
Such prior art bandages, while serving well their purpose in an earlier day, tend to be stiff and non-pliable. Consequently, when they are used to cover a wound on, for instance, a joint such as an elbow, depending on the orientation of the elbow, the bandages will not stretch sufficiently to allow full range of motion. Or, if the bandages are applied while the elbow is bent, the bandages will tend to disengage from the wound when the arm is fully extended, exposing the wound to the elements from which it should be protected. Further, bandages in the prior art tend to be thin, a consequence of traditional manufacturing processes where, in order to achieve high production rates, much tension is placed on the various layers. This tension tends to draw down the layer thickness.
In today's active world, people desire a bandage which will conform to their bodies, no matter where the wound is, and protect and cushion the wound from further injury until it is healed. The necessary characteristics of such a bandage include a certain degree of elasticity which will allow full range of movement while still keeping the wound covered. Further, such a bandage will also have a certain amount of cushioning thickness to protect the wound until it is fully healed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved adhesive bandage meeting the characteristics discussed above. This and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and claims of the invention.